Amazon announces the closure of all physical stores
By Sam Catanzaro
Marina del Rey is set to lose a bookstore following Amazon’s announcement that it is closing all of its physical bookstores.
As Reuters first reported, Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. said on Wednesday that all Amazon Books, 4-Star and Pop Up stores would close. The company will instead focus on groceries — including Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go and Whole Foods — and fashion stores.
A total of 68 Amazon Books, 4 Star and Pop Up stores are expected to close. On the Westside, there are three bookstores: in Westfield Century City, Waterside in Marina del Rey, Palisades Village. The Marina del Rey store, located at 4752 Admiralty Way, has been at the mall since 2018.
Amazon didn’t reveal how many employees its move would affect, but said in a statement the company is working to “help them find new roles within Amazon.” Workers who choose not to stay with Amazon will receive severance pay.
Amazon had hoped the bookstores – first launched in Seattle in 2015 – would help reach customers in more places and bring their online flair to the physical shopping experience. Stores, however, couldn’t stop the trend of online sales that the company had helped start. The company’s revenue from brick-and-mortar stores was just 3% of its $137 billion total last quarter, itself largely driven by Whole Foods sales.
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